Paul: The Pagans' Apostle

by Paula Fredriksen

Overview

A groundbreaking new portrait of the apostle Paul, from one of today’s leading historians of antiquity

Often seen as the author of timeless Christian theology, Paul himself heatedly maintained that he lived and worked in history’s closing hours. His letters propel his readers into two ancient worlds, one Jewish, one pagan. The first was incandescent with apocalyptic hopes, expecting God through his messiah to fulfill his ancient promises of redemption to Israel. The second teemed with ancient actors, not only human but also divine: angry superhuman forces, jealous demons, and hostile cosmic gods. Both worlds are Paul’s, and his convictions about the first shaped his actions in the second.
 
Only by situating Paul within this charged social context of gods and humans, pagans and Jews, cities, synagogues, and competing Christ-following assemblies can we begin to understand his mission and message. This original and provocative book offers a dramatically new perspective on one of history’s seminal figures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300240153
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	10/23/2018
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Paula Fredriksen, Aurelio Professor of Scripture emerita at Boston University, is a member of the Humanities Faculty of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Introduction: The Message and the Messenger 1

1 Israel and the Nations 8

Beginnings 10

God and Cosmos 10

God and Humanity 13

God and Israel 14

Kingdom and Exile 17

David's House, and God's 17

Prophecy and Promise 21

The Expectation of Redemption 26

2 Fatherland and Mother City 32

Jews in Pagan Places 38

Pagans in Jewish Places 49

The Temple 49

The Synagogue 54

3 Paul: Mission and Persecution 61

Who Was Paul, and How Do We Know? 61

Jews, Born and Made 64

Circumcising Missions? 69

Eschatological Gentiles 73

Witness, Resistance, and "Persecution" 77

4 Paul and the Law 94

The Gospel and Gentile Circumcision 94

The "Law-Free" Mission and the "Law-Free" Apostle? 108

Gods and the One God 112

Ethnic Distinctions 113

The Law, the Ethne, and "Justification by Faith" 117

The Law's Curse 122

5 Christ and the Kingdom 131

Christ, the Son of David, Part 1: The Eschaton 133

Christ, the Son of David, Part 2: Romans 141

Intermezzo: The Turning of the Nations 145

Lineage/Huiothesia 148

Separation/Hagiasmos 151

The Choral Symphony: Paul's Letter to the Romans 155

Romans 2-7: Problems with Gentile Judaizing 157

Romans 9-11: Israel and the Nations 159

Postscript 167

Acknowledgments 175

List of Abbreviations 179

Notes 181

Bibliography 225

Primay Sources 255

Secondary Sources 257

Indexes 281

Names and Places 281

Ancient Documents and Authors 290

Subjects 309

Editorial Reviews

Wide-ranging, deeply learned, but accessible . . . A good source for historical context, a keen stimulus for rereading Paul’s letters, and a great book to argue with.”—Sarah Ruden, Commonweal

“A gem . . . a fresh and exciting reframing of Paul and his mission . . . Fredriksen writes with a piercing clarity.”—John-Patrick O’Connor, Princeton Theological Review

“This book offers a new paradigm for Pauline scholarship . . . Paul: The Pagans’ Apostle is a tour de force.”—Olivia Stewart Lester, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

“This book is a delight to read. . . . Easily one of the most important new books on Paul, a work that models reliable, articulate, and incisive scholarship.”—Nijay K. Gupta, Interpretation

“A provocative intervention in Pauline studies”—Brad East, Los Angeles Review of Books

“[With] accessible yet rich writing . . . Fredriksen’s project powerfully undercuts some of the most pervasive narratives about Paul.”—Jennifer Quigley, Ancient Jew Review

“A rich and deeply learned book that forces a reevaluation of Paul and his work . . . Eminently accessible . . . A crucial addition in the field of Pauline studies.”—Galina Krasskova, Reading Religion

Won the 2018 Prose Award in Theology and Religious Studies

“Brilliant, elegant, and important––this volume reshapes an entire field of study.  Here stands the finest history of the Apostle Paul to appear in generations.”—J. Albert Harrill, author of Paul the Apostle: His Life and Legacy in Their Roman Context

From the Publisher

Fredriksen’s work is a marvelous product of interdisciplinary scholarship. . . . Even in the massive field of Augustinian studies, this work stands out.”—Robert McEachnie, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
 

Robert McEachnie

This book is one of those rare works that is both accessible to the general educated reader and of value to experts.”—Paul R. Kolbet, Religious Studies Review
 

Paul R. Kolbet

Praise for Augustine and the Jews:
 
“A masterpiece of passionately argued Augustinian scholarship.”—Peter Brown, New York Review of Books
 

Peter Brown

 
“Brilliant, elegant, and important––this volume reshapes an entire field of study.  Here stands the finest history of the Apostle Paul to appear in generations.”—J. Albert Harrill, author of Paul the Apostle: His Life and Legacy in Their Roman Context

J. Albert Harrill